Shumard’s Oak (Quercus shumardii)

Plant Species of Concern State Rank: S1 (critically imperiled), Global Rank: G5 (secure) Identification Shumard’s oak is a large, deciduous tree that reaches up to 100 feet (30 meters) in height. It has gray, furrowed bark and grayish-brown, dull, bud scales on the mature branchlets. The leaves are alternate and deeply lobed. Each leaf has 7 to 9 sharply toothed lobes that tend to widen slightly toward the tip. The 4 to 7 inch (10-18 cm) leaves are dark green above, and paler green below with hairs clustered in the leaf axils.

The flowers are produced when leaves emerge in spring. Male and female flowers are produced separately, with female flowers held singly or in pairs and male flowers held in clusters of long, drooping catkins. Acorns are about 1 inch (2.5 cm) long and have scaly, saucer-shaped caps that cover less than ⅓ of the acorn.

North American State/Province Conservation Status Map by NatureServe (2007) Photo source: John Kunsman (PNHP)

Habitat Shumard’s oak has a distribution from Ontario and New York south into Texas and Florida. In Pennsylvania, it has been found in the south-central and northwestern counties. The species grows in moist to wet woods along streams, bottomlands, and lower slopes, often on calcareous substrate.

Status The PA Biological Survey considers Shumard’s oak to be a species of special concern, based on the relatively few occurrences that have been confirmed. It has been assigned a rarity status of Endangered.

Conservation Maintenance of known populations and preservation of the communities where Shumard’s oak grows will be crucial to its survival. Creating buffers around fragmented habitat and removal of invasive species will help to maintain populations and encourage new population growth. The management of the known sites requires long term monitoring of populations. Potential sites for restoration should be evaluated.

References Photo: Aura  NatureServe. 2007. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life [web application]. Version 6.2. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: September 4, 2007 ).  Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program. 2007.  Rhoads, A. F. and W. M. Klein, Jr. 1993. The Vascular Flora of Pennsylvania: Annotated Checklist and Atlas. American Philosophical Society, Philadelphia.  Rhoads, A. F. and T. A. Block. 2000. The Plants of Pennsylvania: An Illustrated Manual. University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.